Your Side
by Kylie Anderson
Summary: When Ziva is kidnapped, NCIS agents are forced to chose sides only to realize one thing. They're all on the same side. But is Ziva?
1. Chapter 1

Your Side

Chapter 1

Ziva David walked down the empty halls of NCIS. She arrived at her desk setting down her things. It was early morning and she was ready to start work. Ziva sat down and booted up her computer.

Tony walked in whistling shortly after Ziva arrived. "Hello Ziva." Tony said smiling.

Without looking up, Ziva answered, "Hello Tony, what do you want?"

Tony let out a hurt groan. "Aw…why…" Tony began but was cut off by a slap in the head. "Ouch!"

Tony rubbed his head. Gibbs strode past him. "Since the two of you are early today, why don't you get started on that paperwork you were supposed to pass in yesterday?" Gibbs suggested sitting down.

Tony nodded. "On it boss," Tony said sitting down at his computer.

Ziva got up and collected a file. "I stayed late last night working on it." Ziva said handing it to Gibbs.

Gibbs took it without saying a word. Ziva sat back down to finish her other reports. McGee walked in to find everyone at their computers working busily. "Am I late?" McGee asked slightly worried.

"Nope probie. You're on time." Tony answered.

McGee looked around confused. He sat down. Ziva suddenly looked up. She had this odd feeling. It was like she was being watched. Ziva had been in Israel long enough to trust her instincts. She felt her gun at her side. She got up slowly. "What are you doing Ziva?" Tony asked.

Ziva looked at him. "I'm going…to…uh…I've got to use the…the…" Ziva said struggling to find the word. "Head! I'm going to use the head!"

Ziva strode down the darkened halls. Once she was out of Gibbs's sight as well as her team mates, she pulled out her gun. She carefully moved down the hall. "Hello?" Ziva asked cautiously.

Reaching the end of the hall, she realized no one was there. Ziva shook her head. Something told her something wasn't right, but she didn't know what it was. Ziva put back her gun. She must have been overreacting. She walked calmly back to her desk.

Gibbs got up to introduce his next case when an Israeli man walked up to Ziva. "Shalom." The man greeted.

"Shalom." Ziva said cautiously. "Can I help you?"

"Yes Ziva, remember how we must finish that paperwork on that other case?" The man said.

He pulled out a badge. "I'm Washington Metro Police. Ms. David witnessed a man who ran into another vehicle. We're trying to finish the paperwork." The man said giving them a million watt smile.

Ziva smiled. "I don't remember ever witnessing a hit and run." Ziva said politely. "If you would please leave…"

The man started speaking swiftly in Hebrew. Ziva stood very still in surprise. "Excuse me, could you please leave? Ziva didn't witness a hit and run…" Tony began.

The man pulled out a gun and pointed it to Tony. "Silence!" The man ordered.

Ziva kicked the gun from his hand and pulled out her own. The man twisted Ziva's arm causing her to drop her gun right into his hand. He held on to Ziva as he pointed the gun to her head. Gibbs, McGee and Tony all had their weapons drawn. "Put down the guns!" The man ordered. "Do it now or she die!"

Ziva bit his hand and stepped on his foot. They struggled for the gun. Gibbs didn't dare shoot because he didn't want to risk hitting Ziva. Several other men rushed in. Tony and Gibbs shot at the men, but apparently they were wearing bulletproof vests. McGee couldn't bring himself to fire the weapon. The other men grabbed Ziva as she struggled. All the men escaped quickly.

Gibbs and Tony ran after them, but they left in a large van before they even got outside. Gibbs and Tony walked back inside sullenly. Ducky and Abby along with several other employee were crowding them when they returned. "What happened?" Ducky asked.

"Someone abducted Ziva. They spoke Hebrew. It's probably a few of her previous associates." Gibbs said bitterly. "I didn't want her here! She's just caused trouble!"

"Jethro if you are suggesting that because you dislike someone that they deserve to die…" Ducky began.

Gibbs shook his head. "Gibbs, I don't think that Ziva knew the men." McGee said.

Gibbs looked at him. "Why?" Gibbs asked.

"Well first he greeted her with 'shalom' which is a Jewish way of greeting someone. She returned the gesture, but with confusion. She didn't seem to know what was going on." McGee said.

Gibbs shook his head. "I don't care about that. She was probably surprised to see him here." Gibbs said. "One of her family members killed Kate. Does anyone care about that?"

Gibbs stormed off angrily.

----

Gibbs needed a moment to collect himself. He had just revealed something that would probably shock the entire NCIS building. He had also surprised himself by becoming surprisingly upset. He had never acted like this before.

He leaned against a wall. Ziva was a member of his team. She had never gone against him. Gibbs acted like he didn't fully trust Ziva, but he did. She had never given him a reason not to. It was his duty to bring her back. Just as it had been her duty to kill.

Taking a deep breath, Gibbs made his way back.

----

Abby looked at Ducky. "Did you know that?" Abby asked quietly.

"No Abigail, I did not." Ducky said sighing heavily.

McGee looked at everyone. "We're still going to look for her, aren't we?" McGee asked.

Tony shrugged. "One of her blood relatives killed Kate. That's something we can't ignore. I don't know if we're going to look for her." Tony said softly.

It was silent. "I'm looking for Ziva. I don't care who her family is. She's our family and she's never tried to hurt us. If one of us were missing, she would try to find us." Abby said loyally.

"I agree with Abigail." Ducky said. "I don't want to see another fine agent in the morgue unless they're breathing."

McGee nodded. "I think we should look for Ziva. She's been abducted. Isn't it the law that we look for her?" McGee asked.

Tony shrugged. "She knew and probably lived with who killed Kate." Tony said quietly. "Why should we trust her?"

"Because I do." Gibbs's voice said behind them.

Everyone turned to him. "I was upset and I did not mean any of the things I said. Ziva is a part of this team and no one; I repeat no one gets left behind." Gibbs said softly.

Gibbs changed his soft tone into that of a harsh one. "McGee, I need you to find all of the registered owners of a large, gray conversion van." Gibbs said.

McGee looked a little confused. "There's got to be thousands just in D.C…" McGee began.

Gibbs gave him a hard stare. "But I could always look in Maryland and Virginia too." McGee finished lamely.

Gibbs gave him a small smile. "Tony…" Gibbs began.

"Cross reference that sheet with anyone who has Israeli ties." Tony finished.

Gibbs nodded and walked off down a hall at great speed. Jenny Shepard walked in briskly. "Why did I hear gunshots? What's going on? Where's Jethro?" Jenny demanded at once.

Ducky shrugged. "I do not know where young Jethro has gone off too." Ducky said. "But the gunshots you heard were caused when a few men attempted to kidnap Ziva."

"Attempted?" Jenny asked.

Ducky looked at the ground. "Well, it wasn't attempted you see. They did mange to kidnap Ziva." Ducky said.

"I want to know how many men there were. I want to know how they got in. I want to know…" Jenny began quickly.

"I'm still the boss Jen." A voice came from behind her.

Jenny spun around. She saw a grim Jethro looking at her. "Jethro, what happened?" Jenny asked slightly flustered.

"One man, identified himself as a Washington D.C metro officer. Ziva was almost successful in disarming him, but what happened was four other men, all with bullet proof suits, came in and with five men, Ziva didn't stand a chance." Gibbs said.

Jenny looked befuddled. "How did the other four men get past security? How were they able to get out with Ziva?" Jenny asked.

"Hey, has anyone checked to see if the security guards are still alive?" Abby asked.

Everyone was silent and they all exchanged looks. Without saying a word everyone rushed down the stairs not waiting for an elevator. Several security guards were standing around each other looking at a magazine. Everyone again exchanged confused looks. "Did any of you notice anything odd today?" Tony asked.

The guards looked at each other. They shook their heads. "No, why?" One asked.

"You didn't notice five guys run out of here with a woman and put her in a van?" McGee asked.

The security guards shook their heads again. "Did you let anyone into NCIS that wasn't an employee?" Jenny asked.

One of them nodded. "Yeah a guy from Washington D.C metro came in and told me Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs was expecting to see him and Ziva David about something." The man answered.

"And you didn't question him or called Gibbs for verification?" Tony asked.

The guard shook his head. "I just punched in the security code and he walked in." The guard said.

Jenny sighed. "All of you report to my office in two hours time. We need to discuss future job options." Jenny said walking away with everyone following her.

----

Ziva was in the back of the van. It appeared to be going the speed limit. It was probably because the men didn't want to get caught. Four men were in the back with her. She was bound with these metal cufflinks that she could not get undone. They were on her wrists and feet. "You won't get away with this. My boss will find me. You will all be sent to prison. If you let me go now, I can put in a good word for you." Ziva said.

One of the men laughed. "She's an idiot isn't she?" One of the men asked the other.

The man nodded. "She's annoying too. Put that tape on her to shut her up." The man said.

Another man put the tape over her mouth. She struggled, but he managed to get it on. "Do you honestly think that Leroy Jethro Gibbs is going to find and save you after one of your family members killed one of his favorite agents?" One of the men asked. "You are more stupid than we thought."

Ziva watched them with anger flooding through her veins, but then she remembered a conversation that she and Gibbs had a few weeks ago.

_Flashback _

"_I guess I'm with you." Ziva said smiling. _

"_Are you?" Gibbs countered grimly. _

_Present _

Ziva realized they may be right. Gibbs didn't like her. One of her family killed that Kate girl. Gibbs always thought she was still working with Israel.

"You're probably wondering why you are here? No?" One of the men asked.

Ziva watched him with great hatred. "Well," The man continued. "You remember Israel, don't you? You remember the work you did, don't you? You deserted Israel and came to work with this…Gibbs person. You now work for the American government. America is our enemy! Death to them all! You remember what the price is for those who desert Israel, don't you?"

Ziva didn't even flinch, but that was what she had been taught to do. When she was faced with a situation like this, she was supposed to stay calm and act tough. But it was so hard to do this time because the punishment for deserting Israel was that of torture and then death's bliss.

The man tore off the tape. "What do you have to say traitor?" He hissed.

Ziva was quiet for a minute. "Why would you travel all the way to America and then apply for citizenship just to kill me? You wouldn't. What is it you really want?" Ziva asked.

The man grinned. "We are in Washington D.C and some of our friends in Iraq have asked us to do a few favors. We met your boss along the way. He knows you're here. He asked us before we do our task to take care of you." The man said.

Ziva gave herself a smile mentally. If she could gather enough information, she could escape and tell Gibbs and… Ziva stopped herself right in the middle of that thought. These were Israelis and maybe some Iraqis. They would make it impossible for her to escape. "What are you going to do to D.C?" Ziva asked.

"I heard that the president is giving a speech in a few days in front of the white house. Too bad a bomb with fall from the sky and blow up the president and the crowd." Another man said laughing.

The car came to a halt. Ziva remembered Israel and the kind people that lived in her country. But there were also horrible people like this. It is the same in every country. Ziva had been a kind person…until she became a trained killer.

----

"There aren't any Israelis that own a large gray van boss." Tony reported.

Gibbs looked at him. "Did you think DiNozzo, for a minute, that they might have stolen the car?" Gibbs asked.

Tony nodded. "There weren't any reports of a stolen large gray van in Maryland, Virginia or D.C." Tony said.

Jenny watched them carefully. "Then where did they get the van?" Jenny asked.

Gibbs looked at her. "If you want to stay here, stay quietly." Gibbs warned.

Jenny smiled. "Are you threatening me Jethro? Don't forget I'm your boss." Jenny said.

Right then, Abby walked in. "I got the security tapes." Abby said quietly.

"And?" Gibbs prompted.

Abby sighed. "And they didn't look at the camera. We basically have nothing." Abby said disappointedly.

McGee cleared his throat. "Well…uh…actually we do have something. There were lots of eye witnesses. We could…uh…get a sketch artist and uh get the guy's face. We could send his photo around and maybe someone could I.D him." McGee nervously suggested.

Gibbs nodded. "Tony!" Gibbs said.

Tony pulled out a pad of paper. "On it boss," Tony said getting a pencil.

----

The forced her out of the van. Ziva stumbled out. With her feet bound along with her arms, it was almost impossible to walk. She quickly scanned the area. It was heavily forested. Ziva had never been here before.

They pushed her to keep her moving. She moved clumsily. They led her down a dirt path. After about five minutes of moving quite slowly, Ziva noticed a small black car. "Do you like breathing?" One of the men asked.

Ziva smiled. "As a matter of fact, I do enjoy breathing. However that's my personal opinion." Ziva said dryly.

"She's got a mouth." Another grumbled.

One of the men snickered. "We won't have to listen to it any longer. Put her in the trunk." The man said grinning.

Four of the men put a struggling Ziva into the tiny trunk of the car. She was thrown onto the carpet and the trunk door was slammed shut. Ziva looked wildly around. She was cramped and didn't have much oxygen, but carbon dioxide poisoning seemed too kind. Ziva took a deep breath and let it out slowly.

"Gibbs, I sure hope you are willing to look for me," Ziva said quietly to herself. "Because I don't want to die in the hands of these men."

A/N- I was unable to watch "Twilight" all the times it was on. I am sorry if I make any mistakes, but I read on a website that some guy named Ari killed Kate. Ari was Ziva's brother or father or something like that I think. That's why I said 'One of her family killed Kate' because I don't know who it was. Your thoughts would be much appreciated.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

It was the middle of summer. Black cars were already hot enough. Ziva had begun to sweat profusely in the cramped trunk. She had guessed she was in the car for only about five minutes, but it was already getting hot.

Ziva felt around for anything that could help her. She once remembered a class in which they had told her if she was trapped in a trunk to bust out the tail lights and stick your hand through it. It seemed to work great to get the attention of other drivers, but not if the car was parked in the middle of a dirt road like it currently was. Ziva thought of taking out the tail light to get air, but her captivators had thought of that. They placed metal over the tail lights on the inside of the trunk.

When Ziva thought she would just have to wait it out, her hand ran across something. She realized it was her cell phone. It must have been sheer dumb luck. Ziva moved her hands from her back to her front by pulling them from under her legs which proved to be a difficult task to do in such a small space. Ziva punched in the first number she could think of.

"Gibbs," A grouchy voice on the other side answered.

Ziva let out a sigh of relief. "Gibbs, it's me Ziva. I'm in a black car. I'm in the trunk." Ziva said quickly.

"What?" Gibbs voice questioned. "Slow down. Where are you?"

Ziva took a deep breath. "I'm in a parked car. Apparently I'm in a forest or something." Ziva said. "I don't know what's going on or why they were careless enough to leave a cell phone, but you have to help me."

"Relax, Abby is trying to get a GPS signal now." Gibbs said.

"Gibbs, the men are terrorists. I think some are from Iraq and Israel. They said something about the president and a speech next week. They plan on bombing him and the audience." Ziva said.

"Did they say why they kidnapped you?" Gibbs asked.

"They said I deserted Israel. When you desert your country, you are tortured and then killed. They said they would do this to me before they went to bomb the president." Ziva answered.

"We have your location Ziva." Gibbs said at last.

"Thank you." Ziva whispered.

Gibbs had already hung up.

----

Gibbs walked past McGee and DiNozzo's desks. "Ziva just called. Abby got a trace on the call." Gibbs said quickly.

McGee and Tony looked at each other. "Let's go!" Gibbs ordered.

McGee and Tony scrambled up. They gathered their things and followed Gibbs.

----

Ziva felt a rush of cool air. Her eyes were blinded by sunlight. The men pulled her out of the trunk. "What will your friends think when they find an empty trunk? Will they think you were lying? They probably think we're friends and you're just setting them up." One of the men sneered.

Ziva was pushed into the van and the van tore off down the dirt road.

----

Gibbs was quickly driving along the dirt road. He saw a black car. He slammed on the brakes. "Did you and Ziva go to the same driving school?" Tony muttered.

Gibbs got out of the car quickly with McGee and Tony following. The trunk was closed. "Help me open it DiNozzo." Gibbs ordered.

Tony rushed to Gibbs's side and helped him push the trunk open. It was empty. Ziva's cell phone was open. "Do you think they moved her?" McGee asked.

Gibbs looked around. He appeared confused. "I have no idea." Gibbs said.

----

Gibbs, Jenny, Tony and McGee were all standing in Abby's lab. "No CAFF-POW today Gibbs?" Abby asked in a hurt tone.

Gibbs looked at her strictly. Abby brightened. "I found Ziva's hair in the trunk. That means she was in the trunk. But I've got good news! I think I figured something out. You said Ziva thought some of the men were from Iraq and Israel, but since when were Iraq and Israel friendly? Why would Israelis bomb the U.S? The answer is they wouldn't." Abby said quickly.

Jenny paled. "Jethro, you never mentioned a bombing…" Jenny began shocked.

Gibbs looked at Abby. "Continue." Gibbs prompted.

Abby smiled. "Well, Ziva may have had some pretty bad bosses in the past, but so far, none of them are looking to kill her." Abby said.

"They're trying to mess with us. They're trying to throw us off of the real motive." McGee said.

Abby jumped up and clapped her hands. "Exactly Tim! This has nothing to do with Israel or Iraq or bombing the president. I doubt it even has to do with Ziva." Abby said excitedly.

Gibbs didn't look impressed. "So what was the motive Abby?" Tony asked.

Abby looked a little dull and sat down. "I don't know." Abby admitted.

"Find out." Gibbs said walking away swiftly.

"You owe me a CAFF-POW!" Abby called to him.

----

Ziva couldn't remember blacking out, but one minute she was in the van and the next, she was a cement cell. Ziva was no longer bound. Her wrists were red from the metal binds. She rubbed them and her sore ankles. Ziva looked at her surroundings. The cell could have been any large than ten feet by twelve feet. The door was made out of solid metal. It appeared to be heavily bolted on the outside. "What kind of place is this?" Ziva whispered.

Ziva sat down on the cold cement. After being in the car trunk for a while, the cold was welcome. Ziva put her head against the cement wall. She carefully reexamined what the men had said to her. Ziva quickly realized that she had not been taken captive because of one of her former bosses wanted her dead. She realized the men had no intention of bombing the president. Ziva shook her head. _What could they possibly want? _Ziva thought confused.

Ziva attempted to stand, but found herself oddly dizzy. She sat back down and closed her eyes. Within a minute, Ziva was asleep.

A/N- I hope you liked this chapter.

**I just want to say that I am not favoring any country. I am NOT, in any way, stereotyping anyone or any country. I am NOT discriminating any person(s) or any culture(s). **

I would like to thank everyone of you that reviewed. Knowing that Ari was Ziva's half brother is going to help me. I can't wait until "Twilight" is on so I can watch it (and hopefully I'm not busy like I was on all the other nights it was on). I am very grateful for all the feedback.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Motive. Someone had to have motive for kidnapping Ziva. It was well after eleven o'clock at night and while the rest of the team went home to grab a few hours of sleep, Tony remained at his computer. Why would someone kidnap Ziva? Abby said it wasn't because of what Ziva did before she came to NCIS. Tony often wondered what Ziva did before she came to NCIS. He knew she had been a spy and a trained killer, but other than that, he didn't know and he wasn't sure he wanted to know.

A slight sound started him. He looked up. Gibbs was standing in front of his desk. "What are you doing here DiNozzo?" Gibbs asked in a soft tone.

Tony yawned. "I was just finishing up some paperwork. I thought you had left." Tony said attempting to change the conversation.

"I did, but I forgot my cell phone. I didn't even remember I forgot it until twenty minutes ago." Gibbs said walking to his desk and picking up his cell phone.

"What you said about Ziva's family, you know that Ari was one of her family, is that true?" Tony asked as Gibbs was about to leave.

Gibbs stopped dead in his tracks. He slowly turned around. "Yes. Ari was her half brother." Gibbs said finding it hard to speak.

"Good thing you shot him, right boss?" Tony asked almost prompting Gibbs to talk about what happened.

Gibbs appeared to be aloof. He remembered that night. "Yeah," Gibbs replied hollowly.

Gibbs knew he didn't kill Ari. It was Ziva. They promised not to tell and Gibbs had no intention of ever telling. It was something he would take to his grave. He often wondered what life would be like had Ziva not shot Ari. She had saved him. She proved that she was willing to fight for what she believed in. Gibbs still couldn't figure out why he didn't trust her when she had so willingly proven herself adequately trustworthy. "Gibbs?" Tony asked softly.

Gibbs had been immersed in his own thoughts and didn't even hear Tony. "What?" Gibbs asked slightly surprised.

"I've been asking what's going on with you and Ziva? It's like there's something you're not telling the rest of us." Tony said.

Gibbs looked at him tiredly. "Tony, there are some things better left silent." Gibbs said walking away. "Get some rest!" Gibbs called back.

After Gibbs left, Tony looked back at his computer screen.

----

_Black. Death. So, so much black. So, so much death. Her body laid in the coffin. Everyone was watching. They were watching the darkness so, so carefully. She looked peaceful, but troubled. She looked beautiful, but deathly ugly. She appeared to be smiling, yet she should have been frowning. Everything was all wrong. Everyone was crying. She shouldn't have died. _

_He strangely found himself calling out her name. "Ziva! Ziva!" He called frantically looking at the coffin again, but instead of seeing Ziva, he saw another body. _

"_Kate…" He croaked. "Kate…Kate…" _

----

"Kate…" Tony moaned. "Kate…"

McGee started shaking Tony. "Tony! Tony!" McGee hissed. "Wake up."

Tony awoke startled. "Kate?" Tony asked confused.

"Did you spend the entire night here?" McGee asked concerned.

Tony still remained confused, but he nodded. "Yeah," Tony said. "I was doing some paperwork and then I must have dozed off. What time is it?"

"Seven in the morning." McGee answered.

Tony remembered his horrible nightmare. "You…uh…won't tell anyone about…you know?" Tony asked slightly embarrassed.

"Tell anyone what?" McGee asked sitting down at his own computer.

Tony smiled and let out another yawn. "Were you here all night DiNozzo?" A voice asked behind him.

Tony jumped. Gibbs was looking at him harshly. "Yeah, I was doing paperwork, but then I dozed off…" Tony began.

"Did you finish those reports?" Gibbs interrupted.

Tony nodded handing them to Gibbs. Gibbs was about to sit down, when Jenny walked in swiftly. Gibbs stood up. "Before you ask what I'm doing here, I'll answer. I think I may have found the motive for Ziva's kidnapping." Jenny said handing Gibbs a note.

Curiously, Tony and McGee gathered around Jenny and Gibbs. "What is it boss?" Tony asked.

"A note," Gibbs replied stating the obvious.

Gibbs quickly read the note to himself.

_Gibbs, _

_It's time to pay up. _

Gibbs looked at Jenny. "This is not going to help us. All it says is 'it's time to pay up'. It may not even have to do with Ziva. It could be some other angry guy out for revenge." Gibbs said thrusting the letter towards Jenny angrily.

Jenny didn't take it. She crossed her arms. "Jethro, it's highly unlikely that this would be just a coincidence." Jenny said. "And you know it."

Gibbs didn't say anything. He just got out an evidence bag from his desk and put the note in it. He handed it to McGee. "Give this to Abby and tell her to exclude my fingerprints as well as the director's." Gibbs said.

McGee nodded and walked away quickly. "Tony…" Gibbs began.

Tony walked back to his desk and sat down. "Let me guess, cross reference the owners of gray vans with people related to previous cases." Tony finished.

Gibbs began to type something into his computer. "Are you still here Jenny?" Gibbs said.

"Jethro, my bosses want some answers. They want to know how an NCIS agent was taken out of an NCIS building. Our building should be safe, but it isn't if some guys off the street can just walk in and take an agent." Jenny said in a harsh whisper.

Gibbs looked at her. "Now that isn't my fault, is it? I'm not the director." Gibbs said.

Jenny sighed. "I know Jethro." Jenny said quietly. "But I'm going to have to ask that you find Ziva quickly."

"That's what I was doing before you interrupted me." Gibbs said turning back to the computer.

Jenny watched in silence. Gibbs turned back to her. "If you want to help, stay out of our way for the time being. If we need your help, we'll ask for it." Gibbs said.

Jenny nodded. She left quickly and quietly. Tony walked over to Gibbs. "There are twelve people that have connections to previous cases we've worked on and own a gray van. Most of them are friends and family, but two of them are actual murderers. Apparently they're both out for good behavior." Tony said quickly.

"Put them up on the screen." Gibbs ordered.

Tony quickly found the remote and two images came up on the screen. "The first is Don Sullivan. He murdered three female marines. The second is Ron Maryville. He killed one marine and made it look like a suicide." Tony said quickly.

McGee handed Gibbs a report. "Other than your prints and the director's, there aren't any other prints." McGee said.

Gibbs tossed the report on his desk. Gibbs looked at them. "Anything else?" Gibbs asked.

McGee looked at Tony. "Uh, no boss." McGee said.

----

Ziva awoke to the sound of the metal door being opened. She jumped up suddenly alert. Ziva stood waiting. A man with a mask walked in. Ziva threw herself at the man in an attempted to attack him, but she barely had time to notice the long, silver needle let alone dodge it. It went deep into her upper arm. She suddenly felt sleepy. "I should have expected this from you David." The voice said quietly.

Ziva noticed he still had his mask on. _They're going to keep me alive._ Ziva thought. _Why else would they have the masks? _

As if reading her mind, the man pulled off his mask. Ziva felt sick as she looked at his crooked nose and reddish eyes. "You didn't think you were actually walking out alive, did you?" The man asked laughing as he slammed the door shut once again.

Ziva once again slipped into the blackness.

----

"Run background checks on anyone who owns a gray van McGee. DiNozzo, check up on prisoners that have recently been paroled or released." Gibbs said harshly.

McGee rushed over to his desk to start his task. Tony walked over to his desk. A tiny woman walked over to Gibbs. "Mr. Leroy Jethro Gibbs?" The woman asked nervously.

Gibbs straightened out. "Yes?" Gibbs asked.

The woman handed Gibbs a large, clasp envelope. "I was taking a walk on my break when a man walking on the sidewalk asked me if I worked for NCIS. I told him I did and he requested I give this to you. He seemed very odd. I would be careful opening it." The woman warned.

"What's your name?" Gibbs barked.

"Lisa Miles. I'm the secretary down stairs…" Lisa began.

Gibbs unclasped the clasp and pulled out an 8 ½ x 11 photo. It was of Ziva. "Can you describe this man?" Gibbs asked.

Lisa nodded. "I figured something was odd, so I remembered his face." Lisa answered.

"Tony!" Gibbs said sharply.

Tony nodded. "Yeah, I'll get a sketch artist down here A.S.A.P." Tony said.

"McGee!" Gibbs said piercingly.

McGee looked rather nervous. "Do you want me to get Ducky?" McGee asked. "To…uh…see what…condition…Ziva is in?"

"That's exactly what I want you to do McGee. Now." Gibbs ordered.

McGee and Tony walked away quickly with Lisa. McGee returned first with Ducky. "Jethro, young Timothy here told me you received a photo of Ziva. Is that correct?" Ducky asked.

Gibbs nodded. He handed Ducky the photo. Ziva's eyes were open and she was propped against a cement wall. She looked as if she were dead. "There is some good news." Ducky said. "She was alive when this photo was taken."

"How can you tell that?" McGee asked.

Ducky pointed to her eyes. She had red eye. "Dead people don't have red eye. That only occurs when a person is alive." Ducky said.

"Well how long ago was that photo taken? What if it was taken hours ago and she was alive then, but…?" McGee said not daring to finish his sentence.

Gibbs and Ducky never said a word to acknowledge McGee had said anything. "I believe she's been drugged as well." Ducky said.

"How can you tell that?" Gibbs asked.

"It's all in the eyes. Her eyes look very glassy. Most of the time drugs are in the person's system when their eyes are in that state." Ducky said.

Within ten minutes, Tony walked back into Gibbs's desk where Ducky no longer stood. He handed Gibbs a photo. It was of a man who looked very normal. "Lisa had been able to describe the man she saw outside. He has brown hair and brown eyes. He looks pretty average to me." Tony said.

Gibbs nodded without a word.

----

Ziva drifted in and out of consciousness. Nothing seemed to make sense. When Ziva finally awoke for longer than a minute, she was confused. Why was she locked in a tiny room?

She then remembered. Ziva held in a groan. Her head felt like it was clogged up with liquid. The metal door once again creaked open. Stars danced across Ziva's eyes as her head continued to hurt. She heard a chair being dragged on the cement floor.

It stopped and the door was slammed shut. Ziva blinked and was beginning to see clearer again. The man with the crooked nose and bloodshot eyes was sitting in the chair observing her. "Hello Ms. David, did you enjoy your nap?" The man asked in a fake cheerful voice.

Ziva attempted to lunge forward, but she found she couldn't. Her arms felt like a shock of lightening went through them. She realized they were chained to the cement wall, something that did not happen when she last awoke. "I see you've noticed the chains. I had to put them on while you were…sleeping." The man said in his sick happy voice.

Ziva managed to give him a small smile. "A wise choice. I might have killed you." Ziva said.

The man's smile disappeared and was replaced with a looked of anger. He walked up to her. Ziva realized her legs were not tied. As soon as he was in kicking distance, she kicked him very hard in the knee. He didn't even flinch. He pulled out a needle and Ziva struggled with no use to stop it from going into her body. She once again started to drift asleep.

"Why do you have to make things to difficult Ms. David? You could die peacefully. Or I could kill you like I've planned." The man said distantly.

_I have no plans of dying. _Ziva thought bitterly. She wanted to tell him, but her tongue became thick and she once again fell into blackness.

A/N- Sorry it took so long to put up. I've been doing this huge project that determines whether or not we go to high school. I hope you like the chapter.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Ziva awoke wishing she could fall back asleep. She attempted to move, but now, not only her hands were chained, but her feet. It was almost impossible to move. Being immobilized made her very, very angry.

Ziva attempted to slide her hands out of the chains, but was unsuccessful. If she could break a certain bone in her hand, her hand would become small enough so she could slide it out…Ziva broke off that thought once she realized that when she finally got her arm out, she would still be trapped in the room now with two bad arms.

It seemed like forever Ziva was awake, but alone. It was rather unnerving just to be sitting in a plain empty room with nothing but your own thoughts.

At last, the door slowly creaked open. "Awake?" The man with the crooked nose asked.

Ziva didn't say anything. "You might want to be nice little David. You wouldn't want to die sooner than your have to, would you?" The man asked mockingly.

Ziva looked over the man. "Tell me, what is your motive?" Ziva asked.

The man looked as if he didn't know what Ziva was talking about. "Excuse me?" The man asked kindly.

Ziva looked at him harshly. "Oh come on! Like my previous employers would be looking to kill me! Tell me what is going on." Ziva demanded.

The man walked outside of the room for a minute and brought in a chair as he had before. "Are you comfortable Ms. David?" The man asked sitting down.

"Fine." Ziva said stiffly. "Now tell me!"

The man was silent for a minute. "I do not obey you Ms. David. You obey me." The man said coldly.

For the longest time, Ziva just stared watching the man and he stared back. "I'll tell you, but it's a rather long story." The man said at last. "Then again, you're not going anywhere."

"It started five years ago when my brother, who was a marine, was murdered. It ended up that your precious little Gibbs tried to plant the whole thing on me! I escaped and have been on the run for five years! And I never killed him! The only crime I have committed is that of belonging to an Iraqi force that has been planning against the US for years." The man said quickly.

Ziva didn't say anything. She was thinking. "So you kidnapped me why?" Ziva asked.

"I've been planning the kidnapping for five long years. I was waiting until I found someone that I could easily kidnap without suspicion." The man said.

Ziva laughed. "Like kidnapping me inside NCIS wasn't suspicious?" Ziva asked sarcastically.

The man looked angered now. He pulled out a gun. "Do you see this Ms. David? Do you realize I will shoot you?" The man asked sharply.

Ziva nodded not trusting her voice. She had already underestimated him. He pulled the trigger and Ziva felt a sharp pain in her knee. She knew she had been shot and she needed to stop the bleeding, but couldn't because her hands were chained. "Just letting you know I am serious." The man said pleasantly before taking the chair and leaving.

Ziva watched in horror as blood started pooling out.

-----

Jenny walked over to Gibbs's desk quickly. "My bosses are wondering if we have any leads. I'm not sure what to tell them. Somehow the press found out and _they're _wondering if any place is safe. Then some huge Israeli activists are positive that we're behind the whole thing and that we don't want to be their allies! The whole damn country is a mess!" Jenny said swiftly.

Gibbs looked at her. "Well I'm sorry Jen." Gibbs said. "I don't have any answers."

Jenny's hard expression softened. "Sorry for acting rather…emotional, but you understand I've got huge pressure from everyone." Jenny said quietly.

"I know which is why I'll tell you what we know. One man who spoke Hebrew came in to take Ziva hoping she would go willingly, but she didn't. He called in 'back up' which consisted of four other men. They escaped in a large gray van. They put in her the trunk of a small black car with her cell phone. She called me; apparently that was what they were hoping she would do. After she placed the call, they moved her. Since we found the car, there hasn't been any contact other than a photo of Ziva. Ducky looked at the photo. Ziva is not dead, but she is drugged." Gibbs explained.

Jenny nodded. "Did you check the photo for fingerprints? Did you check the envelope for fingerprints? Did you check the registrations for small black cars?" Jenny asked rapidly.

"Do you see DiNozzo? Do you see McGee? No. They must be off doing something then." Gibbs said. "Now, I'm alright with giving you some information, but I need you to do your job and I'll do mine."

Jenny nodded. "Alright, but I'm meeting with my boss this afternoon. He wants to know what's going on." Jenny said pausing. "I was rather hoping you would be willing to brief him."

Gibbs shook his head. "I'm not doing your job for you." Gibbs said firmly.

Jenny nodded again and left quickly.

----

Another man walked in. It was not the man with the crooked nose, but a man with a soft looking face. He looked kind as if he wasn't a kidnapper or terrorist. He wore a short sleeve black top and blue jeans. He had neat brown hair and dark eyes. He was carrying a bag. "Hello." The man greeted quietly as he crouched beside her.

Ziva nodded to acknowledge she heard him, but didn't feel the need to reply back. "May I see your leg?" The man asked.

"Why?" Ziva asked.

"I am a doctor. Please roll up your jeans a few inches above where the bullet entered." The man requested.

Ziva studied him for a minute. He didn't look like a killer, but who knew? She then carefully proceeded to roll up her jeans right above her knee. The man slipped on a pair of latex gloves and examined the knee. "You are rather lucky. The bullet did not hit your knee cap. It hit right above it." The man said.

"Yes, I am very lucky." Ziva said sarcastically.

The man smiled. "I like your attitude, but the others may not. Be careful what you say." The man warned whispering.

The man put a bandage around her leg surrounding the wound. "That should stop the bleeding." The man said standing up. "Goodbye Ms. David."

Before he picked up his bag and left, he looked at her. She had this feeling as if she had made an ally. He gave her a small smile, but she did not want to risk returning it. Instead, Ziva gave him a slight nod.

In an instant, the doctor disappeared and the man with the crooked nose reappeared. "Ms. David, you must be wondering why I would possible shoot you and have you patched up. Well, to answer your question, the wound was not fatal, but it did do some damage. With that amount of damage, it would have eventually bled out in a few weeks. I'm not planning on killing you for another month or so." The man said smiling.

Ziva watched him with anger. "Do you want me to say thank you?" Ziva asked bitterly.

The man gave her a cynical smile. "A thank you would add let's say another day to your little miserable life. Although after a few weeks, you'll be begging me to kill you." The man said walking out of the room slamming the door behind him.

Ziva now sat against the wall confused as to whether or not this man was mentally insane or if this was just a game to him…or maybe it was both. She realized she could just move her arms down to her neck. She felt for her Star of David, but did not find it. She closed her eyes feeling more alone than ever.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Ziva finally awoke after about ten minutes of sleeping. She looked around the plain room. There was absolutely nothing to do. Now she was tired, hurt, angry and bored. That combination was deadly to the men that made her tired, hurt, angry and bored.

----

McGee was pacing around. "Boss, if there wasn't any fingerprints, how did the guy hold it?" McGee asked.

Tony shook his head walking to Gibbs. He handed him a report. "We matched the license plates on that small black car we found to a Mr. Roger Hanks. I don't think he did it though because he reported his car stolen three weeks ago." Tony said. "And to answer your question probie, he probably pulled his coat down over his hands when he handled the document."

Gibbs grabbed the report and his coat. Tony followed Gibbs's suit and McGee was the last to find his coat and hurry after Gibbs.

----

The steel door creaked open again. Ziva looked up. Again, the man with the crooked nose entered. He pulled in a chair and sat down looking at Ziva. "Do you like games Ms. David?" The man asked.

Ziva refused to answer that question. She sat on the floor in silence. The man smiled at her. "I see you do not wish to answer." The man commented pulling out a knife.

Ziva did not flinch at the sight of the knife nor did she look scared. She simply looked at the knife and then back at the man. "You will learn to listen Ms. David. You will also learn some manners." The man said coldly.

He pressed the cold metal blade against her skin. "I asked you a question, do you like games?" The man asked quietly into her ear.

"Yes, I love games." Ziva said in a vicious whisper.

The man smiled. "Good, because we're playing one." The man said as he pressed down on the knife and dragging from her shoulder to her elbow just heavy enough to break the skin, but not to cause much damage.

The man left from her side. Another man entered. He was wearing brass knuckles. In his other hand, he carried a long whip. "Do you want to talk to your precious boss?" The man with the crooked nose asked.

Ziva wasn't sure how to answer. "It doesn't matter. You'll be speaking to him soon. However, we wouldn't want him to think we're being nice to you." The man with the crooked nose answered himself.

Before Ziva could say or do a thing, she saw a needle and her world was instantly black.

----

"So Mr. Hanks, you have no idea who stole your car?" Tony asked.

A large, plump man shook his head. "No idea. I was just walking inside the store to get a pack of gum so I left the car unlocked. When I came outside, there wasn't a car." Mr. Hanks said.

"Thank you." Gibbs said quickly.

Tony leaned in to whisper to McGee. "That was a waste of time." Tony whispered.

"DiNozzo!" Gibbs said sharply.

"Yes boss." Tony said standing taller and more alert.

Gibbs shook his head. "Oh I don't know." Gibbs said getting into his car.

McGee and Tony exchanged confused looks.

----

Ziva groggily awoke and found herself in stunning pain. Her left hand was severally swollen. It looked to be almost broken. Her face hurt. Her right eye must have been swollen because she couldn't see much out of it. She could also taste blood in her mouth. Most of her body stung. Ziva was guessing they used the whip to inflict more pain.

She also had a massive headache. Out of her only good eye, she could see the man with the crooked nose sitting in the chair watching her. "How do you feel Ms. David?" The man asked mockingly.

Ziva wanted nothing more than to kill the man in that moment. "Why did you drug me? Are you afraid of me?" Ziva asked slowly realizing the drugs still had an effect over her.

The man laughed. "Ms. David, you really should rest. You look a bit ill." The man said before leaving.

Ziva closed her eyes for a minute then quickly opened them. She felt so sick; it was hard for her to sleep although she was very tired. Ziva eventually drifted into a light nap.

Ziva guessed it was only an hour since she had fallen asleep. At this time, the man entered with a laptop and a webcam hooked on the top of it. He sat it down on the chair and stood behind the chair. He turned the camera on.

"All we have to do Ms. David is wait." He said smiling.

----

Jenny walked quickly up to Gibbs, McGee and Tony who were sitting at their desks quietly. "I've got news. There was a letter addressed to you with a disk in it Jethro. It contains the location for a webcam." Jenny said.

McGee perked up. Abby came running down. "I've heard. If we put this baby into the computer, we can get a live feed from wherever and McGee and I can trace it!" Abby said excitedly.

"How do we even know this has to do with Ziva?" Gibbs said in a rather cold tone.

Jenny smiled. "It was labeled 'Ziva David'." Jenny said handing the disk to McGee who placed it in the computer.

An image appeared on the large screen in-between Tony and McGee's desk.

_Do you wish to see Ms. David? Do you wish to talk to her? Here's you chance. _

There was a link under it. McGee clicked it. Within minutes, an image of a dark, cement cell appeared on screen. Ziva sat chained to the wall with her head hung. "Ms. David, it looks like our dear friends have finally joined us." A cold voice appeared from the air.

Ziva looked up at the laptop to see the squad room with Jenny, Abby, McGee, Tony and Gibbs staring back at her. "How are you Ziva?" Gibbs asked quietly.

"Very good." Ziva replied sarcastically.

McGee and Abby disappeared from the frame. Ziva guessed they were attempting to get a location. "Ms. David, can you see my face?" The man asked from behind the laptop.

Ziva didn't feel like answering that one, but she did anyway. It was important Gibbs knew the motive of her kidnapper. "Yes," Ziva said shortly.

Gibbs and Tony exchanged looks. They knew it could only mean one thing. The kidnapper did not plan on letting Ziva live. Ziva wanted to tell them what the man looked like and what she knew, but she knew if she did this, the kidnapper would turn off the webcam and she would lose all hopes of ever getting a trace. "Do you have any injuries Ziva?" Jenny asked gently.

Ziva noticed everyone was keeping their answers and questions in a professional manner. "Yes. I have been shot in the knee, I believe my wrist is broken and as you can see my face is well injured." Ziva said.

Ziva wasn't sure what to say. It appeared that no one else knew what to say either. "My, my, do we not want to talk? If we don't, I can just turn this off. Maybe I should do that. Ms. David and I are going to be very busy. I have so many plans for her." The man said in a mock cheerful voice.

Before the man broke the connection, Gibbs noticed a flash of fear in Ziva's eyes. Ziva also noticed in the same moment a kind look on Gibbs's face. It was comforting to her.

----

"Did you get a trace?" Gibbs asked as soon as the screen went black.

Abby and McGee looked up from the computer quickly.

A/N- Sorry for not posting this sooner, but I've been so busy. I'm practically in every single club there is.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Abby looked grave as did McGee. "We weren't able to get a trace. They scrambled it. It's impossible to find the exact location." Abby said.

Gibbs looked at them hopefully. "You said exact location. Is it possible you can find out where they are near?" Gibbs asked.

McGee nodded. "We know they're somewhere in North America." McGee said heavily.

Gibbs returned to looking angry as he had before. "That's helpful McGee. Ziva could be in Mexico, Canada or the US. Brilliant! Why didn't I think of that before?" Gibbs said sarcastically.

"At least we know she is alive." Jenny offered.

Gibbs looked at the blank screen. "For now," Gibbs said darkly.

----

"Bravo Ms. David! Excellent performance! You're playing this game very well." The man said shutting down the laptop.

Ziva didn't say a word. "I think tomorrow we will have another one of these happy videos, but first, I think we should do some more damage. Gibbs didn't look too worried about you." The man said walking out with the laptop.

Within a few minutes he returned with a red hot piece of metal. It looked like the kind to brand cattle. Ziva watched in fear as the fiery piece of metal neared her body. She could take broken bones and bruises, but being burned hurt a lot more. The man viciously jabbed her lower stomach with the burning metal. Ziva attempted to mentally prepare herself for the pain, but it didn't work. She let out a howl of pain. The man didn't just put it on her skin, he pressed on it hard. He also didn't immediately let go. He held it there for a few, long, seconds.

Then he let out. Ziva was panting with pain. She had been wearing a green t-shirt, but it was now charred and you could see her blacked skin. It made Ziva's stomach turn.

The man left only to return with another red hot branding iron. Ziva once again couldn't control the screams that escaped from her lips. It was extremely agonizing. The man dropped the iron and started kicking her near where she had been burned. That only intensified the pain and caused Ziva to whimper with more pain. She could tell the man had steel toed boots on. She was almost positive she felt a rib crack.

He took the now cooled metal iron and began beating Ziva with it. It hit her shoulder very hard. She heard a loud crack and felt a blinding pain. Her collarbone was undoubtedly broken. The man had always been in a cool control, but he seemed to be quickly losing that control. He continued to beat Ziva while swearing and screaming in anger. The man was now obviously out of any control that he had previously.

All of a sudden, the man just stopped. He gathered his iron rod and left quietly without any words. Ziva was stunned by the attack. Her body felt like it was going into shock. She felt the pain, but it hardly registered. She felt very sick like she was going to throw up.

After about five minutes, Ziva felt the shock wearing off and the pain coming on full blast. It was agonizing. Her head couldn't stop swarming. Ziva was in very, very bad shape. In that moment of realizing how much pain she was in, Ziva also realized something else. She was very weak, tired and was quickly losing a battle that would cost her her life. Ziva had lost all hope in that moment. She knew, it was just a gut feeling, that she was going to die alone in pain in the cement cell.

-----

Ziva was in constant pain. It hurt to close her eyes, but she was so tired. It would take her hours to fall asleep and once she was asleep, she didn't stay that way for long. At last, the man with the crooked nose came in with a chair. He once again set up the laptop and the webcam on top of the chair.

-----

Hours after leaving Gibbs, Jenny returned with another disk. Gibbs took it, but simply started at it. Without taking his eyes off of it, he ordered everyone around. "McGee, get Abby down here. Try to decode it this time if it's scrambled. Tony, get Ducky down here as well. I want him to see Ziva's condition." Gibbs said quietly.

Tony and McGee hurriedly retrieved Abby and Ducky. McGee placed the disk into the computer and they suddenly saw a live feed of Ziva. "Hello Jen, Gibbs, Ducky, Abby, Tim and Tony. How are you this fine morning?" A taunting voice asked from behind the laptop.

The first thing Gibbs noticed was Ziva seemed groggier. She was also covered in more blood. "Do you like games Gibbs?" The voice asked.

"I suppose." Gibbs answered.

"Do you like games?" The cold voice asked. "Ziva here said she loves games. She is actually playing this game very well."

Gibbs looked at Ziva who was watching intently. "How do we play this game?" Gibbs asked carefully.

"Oh it's simple! I'm going to give you twenty four hours to find Ms. David. If you can't find her when the twenty four hours are up, she dies." The voice said in a cheerful manner.

Ziva shook her head. "This is a game we can't win Gibbs. Don't try to find me." Ziva said shortly in a weary voice.

"She's smart. You don't have much of a chance of winning Gibbs, but you can't ever leave a man behind. Or are you going to let her die like you let one of your soldiers in your platoon die? Or are you going to blame an innocent person? I think you'll soon understand what it's like to loose someone close to you." The man said before the connection was broken again.

Gibbs looked at Abby and McGee. They shook their heads. "Sorry. We can't tell you anything other than the signal is coming from East America. It looks like Ziva is probably still in Washington D.C or in the vicinity." Abby said shortly.

"Why did she tell you it's a game we can't win? Why did she say she didn't want us to find her?" Tony asked.

"I think she was trying to warn us that this is all about revenge. He's going to kill her before the twenty four hours are even up. He's probably killing her now. She knew that all he wanted to do was seek revenge. He knows we'll go looking for him and when we find him, it will be too late." Gibbs said looking at the ground.

Jenny looked at the discouraged looks on everyone's faces. "Jethro, we never leave a man behind. Now that we know this is all about revenge, when we think we have a location we can go in carefully. We'll save her." Jenny said confidently.

Gibbs looked at Ducky. "How does she look?" Gibbs asked.

Ducky sighed. "Jethro, she's in pretty bad condition. The image was a bit grainy and I couldn't tell much, but I know she's hurting a lot." Ducky said softly.

----

"You don't want to be found?" The man with the crooked nose asked surprised.

Ziva shook her head. "No. I've given up hope a long time ago." Ziva lied.

The man smiled. "Good." The man said before taking his laptop and chair out of the room.

Ziva was once again left in the room with only twenty four hours and her faith in her coworkers.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Ziva had no way of knowing the time. Was an hour up? Or was it just a minute that passed? Did she only have five hours to live? It was purely nerve wracking.

The dim light above her began to flicker. She took a few deep breaths, but even breathing hurt her.

----

"Did anyone recognize his voice?" Gibbs barked.

Ducky, Abby, Tony, McGee and Jenny all exchanged looks before shaking their heads. "I don't recall, but then again Jethro, we hear many voices each day." Ducky said gently.

A man with neat brown hair was being escorted by a security guard. "Mr. Gibbs, this man has information about the Ziva David disappearance." The security guard said before leaving.

Everyone was staring at the man. "Well?" Gibbs asked sharply.

The man extended his hand. In the other hand he held a bag. "Hello, my name is Dr. Henry Benson." Henry said firmly.

"Do you have information?" Tony asked.

Henry nodded. "I was forced to help Ms. David. There were five men that told me if I didn't agree to bandage Ms. David's wounds, they would kill me. They blindfolded me and when they took the blindfold off, I was in a cement hall. They led me to a cement cell and gave me my kit. Ms. David was shot in the leg. All I could do was to stop the bleeding. I told her she was lucky it didn't hit her knee or she wouldn't be able to walk. She replied sarcastically she was very lucky. After I left, they blindfolded me and dropped me off in the middle of nowhere. It's taken me forever to get back to the city. As soon as I did, I found the NCIS building to tell you about the news. I found out Ms. David was NCIS." Henry said quickly.

"How is that going to help us?" McGee asked.

Henry gave him a small smile. "On the way back, I could see out of the bottom of the blindfold. I was able to see where I was going. After they left me in the middle of nowhere, I was able to tell where I was traveling. I can lead you to Ms. David." Henry said.

Tony nodded. "Alright, if we can just take your statement…" Tony began.

"You don't believe me? Listen, Ms. David could be dying! We need to find her quickly. I promise I'm not lying and I'm not going to waste your time. Please, just trust me." Henry said.

"I find it highly unlikely five professional kidnappers would get a doctor to help them save someone they were trying to kill." Gibbs said quietly.

Henry shrugged. "I don't know why either, but I know they did. If you don't believe me, believe this." Henry said shoving a garbage bag towards them.

Abby took it. She saw it was a pair of jeans covered in blood. "Is this Ziva's blood?" Abby asked.

Henry nodded. "Yes! Yes! Test the DNA! It's hers! Please you have to help her!" Henry said urgently.

Gibbs nodded taking his coat. "Jen, stay here and call for SWAT back up. Abby, stay by your computer. We may need your help very soon. Tony, McGee, come with me. Ducky, get your kit, you're coming with us as well because Ziva seems in terrible condition." Gibbs said quickly grabbing his coat.

"Where should I tell SWAT to go?" Jenny asked.

"Tell them to stand by and as soon as I find out where we are, I'll give you the location." Gibbs said.

Tony, Ducky, McGee, Gibbs and Henry all disappeared into the elevator quickly.

----

After an hour of driving further and further away from D.C, Henry told them to drive to a small log cabin deep into the woods. McGee took out a pair of binoculars. There were four men standing outside with large rifles. "There are four lookouts boss." McGee warned.

Gibbs stopped the car before they turned on the dirt road to the cabin. "McGee, Tony, get your guns and come with me. Ducky and…you, just stay here. When we find Ziva, we'll call Ducky. You, stay in the car at all times." Gibbs said quickly.

He always referred to Henry as you because he couldn't remember the doctor's name. McGee, Tony and Gibbs left the car quickly.

----

"I think we have visitors." One man said to the man with the crooked nose softly inside the cabin.

The man with the crooked nose grinned. "Give them a big welcome, but let me say hello to Gibbs before you welcome him." The man said.

Then whispering to himself, he quietly said, "Welcome to the game Jethro."


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

About ten minutes ago, Ziva had been beaten even worse then before. She could tell that the twenty four hours was almost over. The man with the crooked nose beat her for at least thirty minutes non-stop. After he was done beating her, he took the cuffs off of her for the first time. Ziva would have happily seized the opportunity to run or jump the man, but she was too weak.

All she could do was lay on the cold cement. She wasn't even sure if she could move.

----

Gibbs motioned for Tony and McGee to take to the left while he took to the right of the cabin. They moved quickly and quietly. It didn't matter how silent, they were, they had already been spotted. There were three men on the porch and another man walked out. "Someone's out there!" One of them shouted.

All four of the men started shooting them with the large power rifles they had. McGee, Tony and Gibbs all returned the fire. Within a matter of minutes the shooting stopped. The four men lay dead on the porch. Gibbs, Tony and McGee moved quickly passed their bodies into the cabin.

----

Ziva heard the loudest gunfight she had ever heard or at least that's what she thought. Her head ached terrible and even the lightest sound sounded like a bomb. The sound of guns going off only lasted for a few minutes and then an eerie silence replaced the noise. Ziva hoped that the silence was because Gibbs, Tony, McGee and some back-up killed the men…and not the other way around.

----

As McGee, Tony and Gibbs were clearing the cabin, the last room they checked was a small living room. It held a fireplace and seemed rather quaint, except for a man with a crooked nose sitting in a wooden chair with a gun pointed right at Gibbs. Tony and McGee were clearing the other rooms. "Hello Special Agent Gibbs. It's been so long Jethro. It's been five years long." The man said coldly.

Gibbs searched his memory. "You killed your brother. He was a marine. I remember now. You escaped and you've been on the run for five years, right?" Gibbs asked cautiously.

The man with the crooked nose nodded. "Very good Jethro. You seem to remember things well. Do you remember Kate Todd? She died. She died because of you Jethro. Did Ziva die because of you?" The man asked quietly.

Gibbs looked at him. "You're lying. You haven't killed Ziva, Timothy Green." Gibbs said firmly.

The man with the crooked nose looked surprised and almost unnerved by the use of his name. "Am I lying?" Timothy asked smiling.

Gibbs nodded calmly. "Yes, you are." Gibbs said.

Timothy let out a loud laugh. "Jethro, would I lie to you?" Timothy asked.

Gibbs nodded again. "You already have. Put down your weapon." Gibbs said firmly.

Timothy waved his gun around. Gibbs held his weapon tighter. "Put down the gun!" Gibbs ordered.

"Ziva's not here boss." Tony asked walking into the room.

Tony had distracted Timothy for only a second and that was all Gibbs needed. Gibbs was able to jump Timothy and disarm him. Gibbs quickly slapped handcuffs on him. "Where is Ziva?" Gibbs demanded.

Timothy laughed. "She's dead." Timothy said.

Gibbs handed Timothy to McGee. "Put him in the back of the car and keep an eye on him. Call for some back-up. Tell them we'll need dogs to find Ziva. She has to be here." Gibbs ordered.

McGee left the cabin. "We checked everywhere boss. Ziva isn't here." Tony said. "She's been gone for over a week. Do you really think she's still alive?"

Gibbs didn't say anything. He went about walking around the small cabin. As he was walking on a carpet, he heard a squeak. "Did you hear that?" Gibbs asked.

Tony shook his head. Gibbs bent down and lifted up the corner of the carpet. He found a hatch. Gibbs looked at Tony smiling. "Boss, it could be rigged." Tony warned.

"No, I didn't think of that DiNozzo!" Gibbs said putting his head against the wooden hatch.

He heard a steady tick. Gibbs looked up grimly. "Bomb." Gibbs said quietly. "We have to get out."

"What about Ziva? If Ziva is there…" Tony began.

"What if Ziva isn't and we all get blown up? We'll get the bomb squad." Gibbs said guiding Tony out of the house.

Tony struggled to get away from Gibbs's grasp without hurting him. When they were about half-way up the dirt road, Tony finally got free. He sprinted back into the cabin. "DINOZZO!" Gibbs shouted.

Tony opened the hatch slowly. He saw that there were stairs and a long cement hall. He also saw that the bomb was time activated. He only had five minutes to find Ziva and get out before…

Tony pushed away any thought at all. He rushed quickly down the stairs and saw one door. It was a steel door. Tony found it was already open. The first thing Tony saw was Ziva laying on the floor not moving. He felt sick to his stomach. She looked as if she were dead. Tony rushed to her side. "Ziva? It's me, Tony." Tony said in a soft voice.

Ziva opened her eyes. "What took you so long?" Ziva asked smiling.

Tony smiled. "Are you hurt?" Tony asked. "We have to get out of here. There's a bomb."

"Yes." Ziva asked.

"If I pick you up, I could injure you more…" Tony began.

Ziva was tired of laying there helpless. "Tony, if you don't get me out of here, I'll blow up and I'll be dead. Please pick me up and hurry!" Ziva said urgently.

Tony realized she was right. Tony carefully picked her up and carried her as quickly as he dared. After what seemed like forever, they were outside the cabin. Tony set her down far away from the cabin on a patch of soft grass. Only seconds after Tony set her down, the cabin was engulfed in flames.

Gibbs and Ducky rushed over to Ziva and Tony. Ducky crouched by her side. "Can you hear me?" Ducky asked gently.

"Yes," Ziva replied tiredly.

"Where are you injured Ziva?" Ducky asked.

Ziva began to close her eyes. "Ziva! You have to stay awake my dear. Can you tell me where you hurt?" Ducky asked as if he were talking to a child.

Tony decided that he would try another approach to keep Ziva awake. "Hey Ziva, remember our last case where you were talking about how we were trapped in that box? Remember how you said you would teach me to play piano again?" Tony asked.

Ziva's eyes were now closed. "Ziva! Ziva!" Tony said urgently.

Ziva did not respond. Ducky was quickly examining Ziva's body. As he did so, he noticed her shirt was scorched. He lifted up her shirt to reveal her stomach region. What he saw horrified him. "Jethro!" Ducky said in shock.

Gibbs looked closer to see that Ziva's skin was burned and branded. "Where is the ambulance?" Ducky asked.

"I called them a while ago." Gibbs said.

Ziva opened her eyes as she heard Gibbs's voice. "Gibbs?" Ziva asked weakly.

Gibbs seemed surprised she was responding to him. "I'm here." Gibbs said kneeling beside her.

Ziva began to spit up blood. She was struggling to breathe. "You…know, I'm…on…your side, right?" Ziva asked in-between labored breathes.

Gibbs looked into her eyes. Ziva seemed to be calm. It was as if all she wanted in that one moment was for him to trust her. "I know." Gibbs said softly. "I know."

Ziva began to cough up more blood at an alarming rate. "Where is that ambulance?" Gibbs heard himself asking in fear.

Gibbs looked at Ducky. Ducky looked very grim. "How is she?" Gibbs asked quietly.

"She's not going to make it Jethro. She was coughing up blood and now she's unconscious. It's only a matter of time now." Ducky said gravely.

Tony had ever seen Gibbs cry, but for the first time he saw a tear fall from his face. Tony held Ziva's limp hand praying that she would live, but knowing that she wouldn't. Ziva was just too…weak.

Tony didn't even notice he too was shedding tears.

_Kate…Kate…Kate…_Tony thought bitterly.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

McGee, Tony, Abby, Ducky and Gibbs all stood around the TV in-between McGee's desk and Tony's desk.

"Hello my name is Terri St. Peter. I'm here in the middle of a large forest where a cabin was recently blown up. Apparently an NCIS agent was kidnapped a week ago. She was held captive here for a week where she was brutally beaten. NCIS is not releasing the identity of the woman. An arrest in the case has been made. The woman agent died on the way to the hospital." A slim reporter said in front of the mess of what used to be the cabin. "Back to Joe with the weather…"

Gibbs furiously turned off the television. Jenny quickly walked into the room. "I'm very sorry for your loss. Ziva was a very good agent. I know this is difficult, but we need to start to find a replacement as soon as possible…" Jenny began.

"She died an hour ago and you are already thinking of a replacement?" Gibbs asked angrily.

Jenny looked at the ground and then back at Gibbs. "I'm sorry, but we've already lost Agent Todd and now Agent David. The job must go on. Speaking of which, I have another case, but I handed it to another already heavy-loaded team. All of you can go home for the rest of today. Ducky, I need you to start Ziva's autopsy as soon as possible. Abby can you start to look over Ziva's personal affects. We need to close this case quickly." Jenny said.

Ducky nodded. "I'll start now…" Ducky began getting ready to leave.

"He is not going to cut up the person he watched die an hour ago! Give us time. Give all of us time." Gibbs said.

Jenny nodded. "Alright, but tomorrow we're going on with business as usual. I'm very sorry, but I have strict orders." Jenny said leaving quickly.

----

Tony felt a firm hand on his shoulder. "DiNozzo! Wake up!" Gibbs said sharply.

Tony blinked and saw he was still at the crime scene. "W…what happened?" Tony asked shakily.

"You collapsed." McGee said shortly.

Tony looked around. The CSU was already taking care of the crime scene and several other NCIS agents were poking around what remained of the cabin. "Where are Timothy Green and that Henry guy?" Tony asked confused.

"Several NCIS agents escorted them back to D.C." McGee answered.

"Ziva? Where is Ziva?" Tony asked.

"She's on her way to the hospital with Ducky." Gibbs answered. "Come on, we're going there."

Tony looked relieved. "So she didn't die?" Tony asked cautiously.

McGee shook his head. "It must have been a nightmare Tony." McGee said helping Tony up.

Tony couldn't explain how relieved he was.

----

Gibbs, Tony and McGee sat in the waiting room. Ducky finally emerged from the emergency room. "How is she?" McGee asked.

Ducky didn't know how to respond. "Like I've said before, she's in very bad condition. About ten minutes ago, she slipped into a coma. She has broken ribs, internal bleeding in several spots, a gunshot wound to the leg right above the knee, a broken collarbone, a broken wrist, her lower abdomen is burned, she has major head trauma, there is also some infection and many other bruises, cuts and broken bones." Ducky said gravely.

No one dared say anything. Ducky sat down with the other three men. "She's currently in surgery." Ducky said.

As they waited for any word, hours passed. It was well into the night and Tony and McGee had fallen asleep. Ducky had also fallen asleep, but not Gibbs. He sat up straight alert. Jenny walked in to the darkened waiting room. "How is she?" Jenny whispered careful as to not wake up the others.

Gibbs shrugged. "Jethro, I'm sorry I wasn't able to come sooner. I was very busy. I'm going home now and I suggest you do the same. All of you. You did a good job today." Jenny said quietly.

Gibbs merely nodded. "You looked exhausted. Why don't I drive all of you home?" Jenny offered again quietly.

"Jen, Ziva's in pretty bad condition." Gibbs said speaking at last.

Jenny nodded. "I know." Jenny said shortly. "But it's not your fault. You did everything you could to find her…and you found her. You arrested the man that planned this. You did your job very well."

"If we had found her sooner, maybe she wouldn't be in there dying." Gibbs said.

Jenny put her hand on Gibbs's shoulder. "Jethro, it's not your fault that Ziva is hurt. Now can I please drive you home?" Jenny asked softly.

Gibbs shook his head. "I can't leave her." Gibbs said.

Jenny smiled. "Never leave a man behind, do you? Alright, I understand, but you look awful. If you refuse to come with me, get some rest and get something to eat." Jenny said noticing that Tony, Ducky and McGee were stirring.

Tony yawned and stretched. "May I offer any of you a ride home?" Jenny asked kindly.

McGee, Tony and Ducky all looked at Gibbs. "What are you looking at me for? You can go home if you want to." Gibbs barked.

Ducky, McGee and Tony all got up and followed Jenny outside. "Night boss," Tony muttered as he passed him.

"Bye," McGee mumbled.

"Good night Jethro," Ducky said.

Gibbs watched them leave. That was the last thing he remembered before awaking to a new day.

----

Tony, Abby, McGee, Jenny and Ducky were all at the hospital at nine in the morning. Gibbs was sitting with a cup of coffee in his hand. "Were you here all night?" Tony asked.

Gibbs nodded. "Any news?" Abby asked quietly.

Gibbs shook his head. As if on cue, a doctor walked out. "Dr. Mallard, you're here about Agent David I presume." The doctor said.

Ducky nodded. "Are there any improvements?" Ducky asked.

The doctor shook his head. "We managed to stop the internal bleeding and remove the bullet fragment. However, Agent David is still in a coma." The doctor said. "She's in critical condition. Most of the staff didn't think she would make the night, but she did. We've done everything we can medically. Agent David may suffer permanent brain damage or…"

The doctor was silent. "Or she could die." Gibbs finished.

The doctor nodded.

----

1 Week Later

Ziva awoke to find herself looking at a white light. She had heard about this when you die. _Oh my goodness! I'm dead! _Ziva thought panicking.

As Ziva looked around, she noticed she was laying in bed with a scratchy white sheet. A monitor was beeping presumably taking her heart rate. _Wait, I'm not dead. I'm in a hospital. _Ziva realized.

Ziva noticed she was in an empty room. She wondered how much time had passed. She couldn't have guessed it was more than an hour or so. What was she supposed to do? Should she call someone? Ziva decided just to lay there when a nurse walked in. "What time is it?" Ziva asked.

The nurse jumped up and dropped her clipboard. "Oh my goodness!" The nurse screamed in fright.

Several doctors ran in. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to startle you!" Ziva quickly apologized.

One of the doctors walked towards Ziva. "How long have you been awake?" The doctor asked.

"Only about three minutes." Ziva said smiling. "And I've already managed to scare someone to death."

The doctor nodded. "Do you know what day it is?" The doctor asked.

"April 15th or 16th." Ziva said.

The doctor nodded. "You were rescued on April 15th. It is now April 22nd." The doctor calmly explained.

Ziva looked confused. "Where did the seven days go?" Ziva asked.

"You were in a coma." The doctor explained. "Do you know who is president?"

"Bush," Ziva swiftly answered.

"The year?" The doctor asked.

"2006," Ziva answered quickly.

The doctor nodded. "Very good. Seven days ago I would have said that you were as good as dead, but I'm very shocked at the sudden recovery." The doctor said smiling.

----

After the doctor explained everything about her medical condition, he left Ziva in the empty room. Ziva closed her eyes again allowing a welcomed sleep fall over her.

----

Gibbs put down the phone. "Ziva's awake." Gibbs announced.

McGee and Tony grabbed their coats. Gibbs already had his on. Abby and Ducky quickly found out and ran out as well. Jenny left as well telling her secretary to take messages.

Within a matter of minutes, everyone was at the hospital. They quickly rushed into the hospital and into the hallway. They were given Ziva's room number and they didn't hesitate to go into the room.

Ziva heard the door open and quickly sat up. She was faced with six people. "Hello," Ziva said surprised.

Everyone started asking questions all at once. "How are you?" McGee asked.

"Do you remember what happened?" Gibbs asked.

"Do you know what day it is?" Jenny asked concerned.

"Are you feeling lightheaded?" Ducky asked.

"Is everything alright?" Abby asked.

"Will you go out with me?" Tony asked smiling.

Ziva looked at him. "No." Ziva said firmly.

Gibbs reached over and slapped Tony on the back of the head. "What was that for?" Tony asked.

"Irritating the patient," Gibbs grumbled. "And your boss."

Ziva smiled at them. "I don't know much of what's going on. I've only been awake for a short time now. I do know that I've been in a coma for seven days. The last thing I remember was being slightly delusional and thinking I was going to die. So I was rambling on about absolutely nothing." Ziva said smiling.

"You had a very good reason to think you were going to die." Ducky said shaking his head. "You were very lucky."

A doctor walked in quickly. "All of you out! She's only been awake for about a half-hour and we haven't even started the examinations…" The doctor said frantically.

They all left the room smiling at Ziva. Tony made a crazy sign and then pointed to the young doctor. This made Ziva laugh.

She was going to be alright…possibly.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

One Month Later

Ziva's right arm was in a sling and most of her body was covered in ace bandages. She walked with a slight limp that the doctor reassured her would go away. Ziva sighed as she was putting on her clothes which was a difficult task.

Today was her first day back at work. Ziva wasn't scared, but she was nervous of how people would act around her. She was obviously be assigned to desk duty, which was the most boring part of the job. While everyone else was out chasing bad guys, she would be stuck inside filling out paperwork.

----

When Ziva walked out of the elevator, she expected everyone to jump her, but they didn't. Instead many agents stood gawking at her. Ziva felt like showing them what staring could do to a person, but she held it in.

Ziva sat down at her desk sighing. She was already exhausted and she only got to work. Tony walked in. "Hello Ziva," Tony greeted.

"What do you want?" Ziva asked.

Tony looked hurt. "Why would you think I want something? Can't I be nice?" Tony asked.

Gibbs walked past Tony as he said that. "No," Ziva and Gibbs said at the same time.

Tony looked surprised to see Gibbs appear out of nowhere and sat down at his desk in silence. Ziva remembered something. On the day she was kidnapped, Tony greeted her the same way and she replied in the same manner. She didn't even notice that when she made her comeback. McGee rushed in. Ziva smiled to herself noticing that McGee was always the last one to come in to work.

Abby ran down from her lab. She hugged Ziva. "You're back! You're back!" Abby said grinning.

Ziva nodded. "Yes, I am and you're hurting my ribs…" Ziva said smiling.

Abby looked horrified. "Oh, I'm sorry." Abby said letting go.

"It's alright. I'm glad to be back too." Ziva said.

Abby bounced around. "It's been really lonely without. I think Tony missed you more than any of us. I think…" Abby began happily.

"I think you should not think aloud anymore." Tony butted in.

Ziva laughed. "Did you miss me Tony?" Ziva asked enjoying the task of making fun of him.

Tony started to turn a slight shade of pink. "No." Tony said quietly.

"He's lying. He was mopping around…" Abby said grinning.

"Enough talk. We've got a dead marine…" Gibbs began.

Ziva smiled. Things were going back to normal. Little did Ziva know that things would never be the same and while she thought she was safe, she was anything but safe…

**The End **

Disclaimer: I do not own NCIS.

A/N- I hope you liked this story. I'm not sure if I'm going to do a sequel or not, which is why I ended it the way I did. If you think I should do a sequel, let me know. If I were to do one, I guess there would be another kidnapper out there that no one knew of and he was trying to finish Ziva off. So…give me your thoughts. If you liked this story, check out my other stories.

Kylie Anderson


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